We have been patiently waiting for the past 48 hours. Hopefully today will be the day for the airlift. We are currently in the clouds. This coverage needs to blow out of here for any activity to happen. It has been fairly cold up here. The high yesterday was 35 with a low last night of 28. The trails are starting to melt, but there is still a lot of ice and a few inches of snow hanging around. If you are going to attempt to hike to the top, I highly recommend some form of ice walker for your shoes.

The crew had some of their emergency training yesterday. One of our smaller volunteers let us strap him into the litter and and treat him for "injuries". Thanks Mason.

Jimmy Williams

3/16/2011 02:51:44 am

You have a really cool blog and I enjoy looking at it. My Scout troop is planning a trip to the Great Smokies this summer and we want to climb Mount LeConte. If we can not get reservations for the shelter we are going to do a day hike. We live in south Alabama where it is much flatter. Do the steep trails cause blisters, and what can you do to help prevent blisters? And what do you think is the best first aid for blisters? Should you pop it or not?

Patrck Houston

3/16/2011 03:22:37 am

Make sure their boots are of reasonable quality and broken in. That shiny new pair fresh out of the box are a sure bet for trouble. Let them day hike a little with them on, and it wouldn't hurt them to get a little wet and walk if off. Good quality socks,and a dry pair to change into. You can prevent some sores by duct taping the usual hot spots (heels), makr sure tape is large enough to not roll up by contact. They make a blister bandage that has a cutout for injured area. You can lance blister at the side and drain which keeps it from tearing (which is much worse).

Bill T

3/16/2011 03:53:45 am

@ Jimmy. You boys be sure to put in some miles before this summer to toughen up those feet. Tell your Scout Master to buy a pack or two of mole skin to put on the hot spots before the blisters form.

Nadine

3/16/2011 04:30:35 am

Jimmy, prevention is better than having to treat a blister. Break your boots in, wear good quality socks and liner socks. Have dry socks to change into if needed. Stop and treat any hot spots before they become blisters - I learned that one the hard way!

Randy, Terry and KrisMoose

3/16/2011 04:34:55 am

I am one of those people that has a tendacy to blisters. I have found that moleskin on the hot spots, heels and a couple of my toes are the best prevention. I recently found a pair of liner socks (I always wear two pairs when hiking) and these have "toes" that help to separate the toes and keep them from rubbing against each other. Best of luck to all of you and break in those boots.

Ben

3/16/2011 04:53:53 am

I got a the biggest blister I've ever had on LeConte. By the time I got to the top that sucker was swollen to the size of a golf ball. I must have drained 6-8oz of bloody liquid from it. Once I got back home and trimmed it I had enough skin to cover lamp shade. It was all my fault though. My boots were borrowed from my brother and too big, and I was wearing cotton socks. Won't do that again.

Jacob

3/16/2011 06:09:19 am

Allison, hopefully your teams' precautionary training will not be needed this season. I would hate to be on the mountain and see a sight like the one in your picture(minus the smiling :) Good luck and thanks for the interesting pictures.

Dick

3/16/2011 06:31:14 am

The one thing I have only seen mentioned once off hand was the type of sock. No tube socks, no cotton socks, no cotton blend socks. Good quality and wicking socks that are sythetic or wool blend are a must. You don't want a scout with a pack of new cotton tube socks from the discount store.

Meg W.

3/16/2011 08:59:55 am

Theme of the Day: Socked in & Socks ; )
Good luck tomorrow crew!

Galen

3/16/2011 12:00:26 pm

Jimmy, Besides good socks and broke in boots I use a product from Avon called "Foot Works". It helps control friction. I don't hike without it. Good luck.
Hope tomorrow is a good fly day for you Allyson. Looking forward to your great pics again this year.

Pat M

3/16/2011 12:45:11 pm

Keeping fingers crossed for good weather! Can't wait to see the pictures of the first guests of the season. Also I hope you update the crew pictures for this year. Glad to have you back!

Steph T

3/16/2011 01:41:57 pm

I wish I was there to play with you. I love to put people in baskets and hook them under the helicopter. Do you lift them out as well or just load them and get it ready to lift?

Dana O

3/16/2011 02:34:59 pm

I've used Walgreen Blister Relief Bandages on my daughter. I've also heard good things about Second Skin made by Spenco. Good quality socks is a must. We're going to try out sock liners this year for the first time.Some people advocate the 50 mile rule for breaking in new boots. Thank goodness my old LL Bean Hikers are well broken in; I alway dread breaking in new boots.

Don

3/16/2011 04:09:14 pm

Nice basket package on your "patient" by the Mt. LeConte crew. I work in Emergency Medical Services, and I have often wondered how an emergency situation might be handled in a remote and isolated location such as LeConte Lodge. Very encouraging to see that you all take emergency preparedness seriously. Good job, and keep up your skills by continuing to plan, prepare, and practice.

Johnny B

3/16/2011 11:25:42 pm

Bare-foot hiking... it's the latest trend.

Anthony W.

3/17/2011 04:08:15 am

I tape heels with duct tape and then use moleskin for any hot spots that develop. Change socks often.

LB in GA

3/17/2011 09:03:05 am

I echo everyone on the socks including the liners. In addition, bring an extra pair or two in your backpack. As for the trend of barefoot hiking, I saw a dude on his way up Sawnee Mountain here in GA completely barefoot. Over rocks. With no backpack. In 30 something degree weather no less!!! I wanted to say to him, "I see my favortie Super Hero, El Stupido, strikes again!" when he passed...ahhh well, to each their own, I suppose.

To the scouts, I'd advise to try to find some sort of terrain that is near to what you will get at the mountain. Hiking in terrain that you are not used to, even if you are a seasoned distance hiker, is a recipe for trouble. We found this out when we backcountry hiked on Cumberland Island, GA a couple years ago. Even though all of us are seasoned distance hikers & backpackers, we found ourselves in 11.5 miles of SANDY dirt, mostly sand.

We were all used to the rocky hardness of the trails in the N. GA mountains and boy, were we in for a nasty surprise. I got only one, but a few of our crew had the worst blisters I've ever seen.

We had much less trouble when this same crew hiked 10+ miles into the Grand Canyon to camp the following year. The terrain was a lot similar to what we were used to AND we had researched about what type of ground to expect.

Sorry for the long post...just passing on my experience regarding differing terrain. :D

Can't wait for my first trip into the Smokies to hike, 4/1-4/6/11...who-hooooo!

LB in GA

Comments are closed.

LeConte Lodge

Welcome to the official blog of LeConte Lodge. We hope you find the information provided here both helpful and enjoyable. Thank you for visiting the site, and we hope to see you on the mountain!